The Future of Education

It has been reported that 26 percent of children will experience some form of trauma prior to the age of four years. Mass trauma events are those events that are associated with terrorism and natural disasters, as well as man-made disasters (whether intentional or non-intentional). Children react to traumatic experiences in individual ways, common symptoms and their behaviors associated with trauma have been identified and grouped into four clusters: Intrusion, Arousal, Avoidance, and Negative Thinking. A group of educators from around the world came together over the course of two summers in Barcelona, Spain and in Dublin, Ireland to brainstorm strategies that teachers could use to help the youngest victims get back into learning in the schools. Those strategies are presented in this paper.

Keywords: Young Children, Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Mass Trauma, Teachers, Teaching Strategies.

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